Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffFor uterine polyps, your doctor might recommend:
- Watchful waiting. Small polyps without symptoms (asymptomatic) may resolve on their own. Treatment is unnecessary unless you're at risk of uterine cancer.
- Medication. Certain hormonal medications, including progestins and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, may shrink a uterine polyp and lessen symptoms. But taking such medications is usually a short-term solution at best — symptoms typically recur once you stop taking the medicine.
- Curettage. Your doctor uses a long metal instrument with a loop on the end to scrape the inside walls of your uterus. This may be done to collect a specimen for lab testing or to remove a polyp. Your doctor may perform curettage with the assistance of a hysteroscope, which allows your doctor to view the inside of your uterus before and after the procedure.
- Surgical removal. During hysteroscopy, instruments inserted through the hysteroscope — the device your doctor uses to see inside your uterus — make it possible to remove polyps once they're identified. The removed polyp may be sent to a lab for microscopic examination.
If a uterine polyp contains cancerous cells, your doctor will talk with you about the next steps in evaluation and treatment.
Rarely, uterine polyps can recur. If they do, you might need more treatment.
References
- Kumar V, et al. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0792-2..X5001-9--f1&isbn=978-1-4377-0792-2&uniqId=351887616-2. Accessed Aug. 14, 2012.
- Stewart EA. Endometrial polyps. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Aug. 14, 2012.
- Lee JH, et al. Postmenopausal endometrial bleeding. Ultrasound Clinics. 2012;7:123.
- Lentz GM, et al. Comprehensive Gynecology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-0-323-06986-1&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-06986-1..C2009-0-48752-X--TOP. Accessed Aug. 15, 2012.
- Salim S, et al. Diagnosis and management of endometrial polyps: A critical review of the literature. The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology. 2011;18:569.
- Pundir J, et al. Uterine cavity assessment prior to IVF. Women's Health. 2010;6:841.
- Harms RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 27, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on